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Philippine Normal University are Chorale champions in Indonesia Posted on August 11th, 2010 under Art & Living Achievements The Philippine Normal University Chorale (PNUC) bagged the grand championship in the 1st Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) International Choir Competition 2010 in Bandung, Indonesia. Aside from being the grand champion, the PNU Chorale emerged as category winners in Mixed Voices-Historical, Mixed Voices-Free Program and Mixed Voices-Young Adult. It also placed third in the Folk Song category. The PNUC members first competed on July 30. They sang “La Guerre” and “Ama Namin” for the historical category and “Ove Lass Il Bel Viso,” “Que Rico E” and “Everybody Dance Now” for the free program. On the following day, they sang two Filipino folk songs – “Day Baling” and “Tarimbaba Punjungan” plus an Indonesian folk song, “Gai Bintang.” In the young adult category, they sang “Aba Po Santa Mariang Reyna,” “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel” and another Filipino folk song, “Pok Pok Alimpako.” Several members of the PNUC even had a “Meet the Jury” session on August 1. They were able to talk to the judges and ask for comments on their performances. PNUC member Melissa Regaya said the choir was ecstatic when they were judged winners in 3 categories. “Our choir was ecstatic,” she . “We prayed to say thanks and our conductor reminded us that if before whenever we sang in each category eh, it’s like we’re praying to God to help us and be with us. Now na we won, we will sing in the championship round, we are singing to praise God and give thanks for His help and blessings.” They then sang thrice in the championship round. The 1st ITB International Choir Competition, also called the Festival Paduan Suara Institut Teknologi Bandung (FPS ITB), is the biggest and most awaited national choral event in Indonesia. It has been held biennially since 1968 in the national level. It became an international choral tilt in 2010. Venus from Nipa Hut in Bicol to Ms Universe in Vegas Posted on August 15th, 2010 under We are Pinoys! Growing up in a bahay kubo or nipa hut in the poor farming municipality of Bato in Camarines Sur province of the Bicol region, the 21-year-old Venus Raj didn’t let poverty and cruel fate obstruct her quest for success and she finished a bachelor’s degree in communications arts, majoring in journalism, at Bicol University in Albay, with cum laude honors. The Francis Padua Papica Foundation, Inc., funded by US-based lawyer Atty. Francis Papica, awarded Venus a scholarship back in 2005. Her stepfather and mother till a small farm that’s owned by her mother’s friend, and Venus used to help out with the farming. If not for the beauty contest, she was already set to apply as a flight stewardess for Emirates Airlines. Today, after hurdling many other crises including a high-profile dethronement, Venus Raj is now on her first-ever foreign trip to compete in the prestigious Miss Universe beauty pageant at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Aug. 23, airing live via satellite on ABS-CBN, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 9:30 a.m., also on Studio 23 at 7:10 p.m. and on Velvet (SkyCable channel 53) at 6:30 p.m. By the way, I urge all readers to go to the www.missuniverse.com website, to vote for Venus Raj in the online popularity contest. She is one of 83 contestants. Here are the steps: Register, click on the activation e-mail to be sent by Miss Universe to your e-mail address, then activate your account and log in, then click on Venus Raj’s picture under “Philippines” in the “Contestants” category, rate her by clicking on the five stars (not one less!), then you will receive a confirmation e-mail to say that your vote was successfully cast. I strongly empathize with our OFWs, because I agree with singer-songwriter Jose Mari Chan who told me that our ancestors the overseas Chinese immigrants were the first OFWs of Asia. Indeed, the elders of the ethnic Chinese minority were OFWs who fled China due to excessive political corruption of the Manchus’ Qing Dynasty, the nonstop wars like Britain’s immoral Opium Wars and Japanese military invasions. It is sad that many politicians have for years glamorized the OFW phenomenon, but they do not see or count the social, emotional and other costs of separation from families. Last March 29, Binibining Pilipinas winner Venus Raj was dethroned by the pageant’s organizers due to alleged “inconsistencies” between her birth certificate and the personal account of her birth. Venus was born out of wedlock to a Filipina worker in Doha City of Qatar in the Middle East and her father was an Indian. Raj was replaced by second runner-up Helen Nicolette Henson. My apologies to the organizers, but this writer was one of many people who felt that her dethronement was an injustice. Many other people, especially via the Internet, expressed strong sentiments in support of this poor girl from Bicol who shouldn’t be penalized for the unfortunate and unorthodox circumstances of her birth. Not only is Venus Raj a Filipino citizen by birth to an OFW mother, she also grew up in Bicol. Among those who helped Raj were fellow Bicolano and US-based lawyer Francis Papica and his friend Philippine STAR Entertainment editor Ricky F. Lo (who’s from Samar but studied at Tabaco Pei Ching High School in Albay province of Bicol). It was Atty. Papica who asked Atty. Gigi Berberabe-Martinez and Atty. Teodoro Pastrana to aid Raj. Senator Loren Legarda also assisted. On April 10, the organizers — Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. (BPCI) — reversed their decision and restored Venus Raj’s title, but required her to produce a valid Philippine passport as a requirement to be able to compete in the Miss Universe pageant this month in Las Vegas. It was around this time that this writer invited Venus and Atty. Pastrana to lunch at EDSA Shang to hear firsthand her inspiring saga. It is amazing that, when queried where she hopes the Miss Universe pageant would be held, Venus Raj replied “Las Vegas,” because she heard there are many Filipinos there and she hopes that it would be a plus factor if you have supporters in the audience. Now, that is one more Venus Raj prayer and wish fulfilled. In my own reckoning, I consider Miss Universe contender Venus to be articulate, optimistic, determined, hardworking and well-brought-up: this beauty queen is already a winner. Her competing in Las Vegas is in itself a triumph, not only for her mother and family, not only for impoverished farming town of Bato, not only for long economically-neglected Bicol region, but also for the millions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) scattered worldwide. Her saga proves that every person can achieve his or her dreams, as long as one is willing to work hard, make sacrifices and to never ever lose faith. Good luck to Miss Philippines Venus Raj on her incredible journey to possible superstardom on Aug. 23! (Story courtesy of Wilson Lee-Flores of the Philippines Star) Filipina named Mrs. Universe 2009 runner-up Posted on August 16th, 2009 under We are Pinoys! Mrs. Universe 2009 Vaida Ragenaite and 2nd runner-up Camilla Kim Galvez skatiens.lvs.A former ABS-CBN reporter has been crowned Mrs. Universe 2009 second runner-up in Riga, Latvia. Camilla Kim-Galvez, the only Asian to enter the top 3 slots, also won the best in evening gown and darling of the press awards. And she impressed the audience after singing a Latvian song. Lithuanian representative Vaida Ragenaite, a sales manager of an insurance company, bagged the crown. Mrs. Belgium Krista Hoeijmans, a former “Misses Globe” pageant winner, was named first runner-up. Mrs. USA Jennifer Cirone won 3rd runner-up and Mrs. Finland Heidi Polkki came in at 4th runner-up. In the Philippines, Galvez is the Chief Executive Officer of Blue Gardens Venue, a wedding and events venue in the Philippines, which she manages with her husband Raul. She formerly worked for ABS-CBN’s Bantay Bata Foundation, which helps abused children. She is also an image model for Kimbel International, a ladies’ bags company. Twenty countries participated in the beauty contest.